Tab construction for index-card guides.



I. WAGEMAKER.

TAB CONSTRUCTION FOR INDEX CARD GUIDES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1. 1911.

1 ,273,960. Patented July 30, 1918 Isaac wnenunxnn, orcae m'mms,MICHIGAN.

ran oon'srnuc'non non; mnax-o'ann eumns.

Specification or Letters-latent. Patented July 30, 1918.

Application filed September 7, 1917. Serial No. 190,288.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC WAGEMAKER, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Grand Rapids, in the -county of Kent and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TabConstruction for Index-Gard Guides; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full,'clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to a tab construction for index card guides andis directed particularly to a construction for tabs of this characterwherein inserts carrying indicating characters may be removab y attachedto the tab and be visible for information with respect to papers orother matter filed adjacent the guides on the tabs of which the insertsare mounted. More specifically, my invention relates to transparentcovers or the like which may be formed from celluloid or similartransparent material, adapted to be secured to the tab and adjacentportions of the card in such manner that an insert strip of paper,cardboard or the like may be inserted and detachably held between saidcover and the tab on the guide, any indicating characters appearing onthe insert being clearly visible through the cover. Among the objectsand purposes of my invention is that of constructing a de vice of thischaracter in a novel manner such that it is adapted to thus detachablyhold insert strips having indicating characters appearing thereon, saiddevices also being so constructed that at each end of the tab, on itsfront face, a bearing is provided to permit the easy insertion of theinsert strips, this construction also acting to safe guard thetransparent cover against breakage or other destruction occurring fromengagement by the fingers of one turnin over the cards. Many otherfeatures of novelty for attaining these ends, together with oth ers notpart1cularly specified at this point will be apparent as understandin ishad of the invention, preferred embo iments of which areillustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which,

Figures 1, 3, and 5 are front elevations of fragments of index guidecards with different embodiments of my invention applied to theprojecting tabs thereof, and

Fi 2, 4 and 6 are end elevations, re

spectlvely, in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. v

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the various views ofthe drawings.

The index card guide, shown at 1, may be of Well known and conventionalstructure and, preferably, of rectangular outline, being provided at itsupper edge with an u stan ing tab 2 which 1n all forms of tl festructure shown is pressed back of the card so that its front face liesin a plane back of the front face of the card. The juncture of the tabwith the body of the card is indicated at 3 showing the tab offset fromthe card in a rearward direction.

Fig. 5 illustrates one of the simplest forms of my invention, a cover 4,preferably of thin transparent celluloid being applied to the tab andadjacent portions of the card. The cover has a rear side 5 which isformed to closely fit the rear face of the tab and adjacent portions ofthe card, it being bent at 6 to conform to the offset 3 made where thetab joins the card. The front face 7 of, the cover is straight and isspaced from the front face of the tab but at its lower part lies againstthe adjacent portion of the card being secured thereto in any suitablemanner, preferably by a cement. It will be apparent that the spacebetween the front side of the cover and the front face of the tab 2 isequal to the distance of the front face of the tab back of the frontface of the card, thereby leaving a space 8 into which any suitablestrip may be inserted on which indicating characters may be printed orotherwise affixed. In practice '.it is desirable that the ends of thatportion of the cover in front of the tab 2 shall not come to the ends ofthe tab and, accordingly, sections, indicated at 9 in Fig. 5, are cutfrom the front face 7 of the transparent cover at each end, leavingshort sections at each end of the tab uncovered, against which theentering end of the insert strip may bear when it is entered into thespace 8. This is one advantage of the construction, while another markedadvantage is that the ends of the free portions of the transparent covermember do not come to the ends of the tabs whereby they are not subjectto any engagement by the fingers of one turning over the cards in afiling receptacle, it being the com- I mon and ordinary method for oneto grasp of the three modifications shown the tabs of the cards at theends thereof to turn them over when looking for matter filed between theguide cards.

In Fig. 3 a modification in construction is shown, the structure beingidentical with that described in Figs. 5 and 6 except that thoseportions of the front side of the cover member over the tab 2 are of thesame length as the tab, but vertical slots 10 are out therein a shortdistance from each end leaving sections 11 which may be pressed againstthe front face of the tab at each end and cemented thereto. The cover 4otherwise has a rear side 5 and a front side 7 -similar in all respectsto that previously described. B forcing the end sections in against theta and cementing them firmly thereto, a bearing for the entrance of theinsert passing into the space 8 through a slot 10 is provided, and thereis no chance for the fingers to engage with the free portions of thecover member to break or otherwise damage the same in handling the guidecards.

In Figs. 1 and 2 a different modification is shoWn in which a primarytransparent covering member 12 is placed over the tab and adjacentportions of the card conforming strictly thereto, it having front andrear sides 13 and 14 which are secured to the front and rear sides ofthe tab and adjacent portions of the card at all points. Over thisprimary cover a second cover 15 is placed, it having a rear side 16cemented to the slde 14 of the first covering member, while its frontface 17 is straight, being spaced from the front face of the side 13 ofthe first member where it lies against the tab 2, but contactingtherewith below the tab, being cemented thereto in any preferred manner.This leaves a space 18 between the first and second covers in front ofthe tab 2. In this construction, as well as in the one shown in Fig. 5,the second cover 15 is shorter in length than the length of the tabwhereby sections 19 on the first cover for the tab are left uncovered ateach end for the ready insertion of the insert strip, providing abearing for the entering end of the strip and positioning the freeunconnected sections of the second covering at a distance from the endsof the tab so that it is not subject to the strain made by engagement ofthe fingers therewith.

Guide cards made in the foregoing manner present a fiat front faceandare readily adapted to receive suitable inserts underneath thetransparent covering member. All possibility of injury to thetransparent covering member is eliminated and at the same time a holderfor insert indicating strips is made such that these strips may bereadily tab extending therefrom at one edge, saidtab being formed sothat its front face lies back of the front face of the card, and atransparent cover for the tab having front and rear sides, the rear sidebeing secured to the backof the tab and adjacent portions of the cardand the front side extendlng over and spaced from the front face of thetab and secured to the card below said tab, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

2. A construction containing the elements in combination as claimed inclaim 1, with that part of the front of the cover which is located overand spaced from the tab being member placed over the first transparentmember, said second member comprising front and rear sides, said rearside lying against and cemented to the rear side of the first coveringmember, and said front Side being spaced from the front side of thefirst transparent member where it lies against the tab but lying againstand cemented thereto below said tab, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

4. In combination, an index guide card, a tab projecting from the upperedge of the card with the front face of the tab located back of thefront face of the card, a transparent cover comprising *front and rearsides placed over the tab and adjacent portions of the card, said rearside of the cover being secured to the rear face of the tab and ad acentportions of the card, and said front side of the cover being free andspaced from the front face of the tab and lying against and secured tothe adjacent portions of the card, with the distance between the frontside of the cover and the front face of the tab the same as the distanceof the front face of the tab back of the front face of the card,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ISAAC WAGEMAKER.

lot

